Effect of Liquid Phase Impregnation Coatings on the Interfacial Bonding Strength of Carbon Fiber‐Reinforced Aluminum

• Published in: Advanced engineering materials 2019-06, Vol.21 (6), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Jiménez, Miguel, Vetter, Joshua, Gadow, Rainer, Carrión, Francisco J., Sanes, José, Bermúdez, María‐Dolores
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: aluminum matrix composites; carbon fibers; fiber coatings; fiber matrix interface; metal matrix composites
• ISSN: 1438-1656; 1527-2648
• DOI: 10.1002/adem.201801350

Liquid Phase Impregnation (LPI) fiber coatings applied as thin solid films are found to modify the fracture toughness of carbon fiber reinforced AlSi5 composites in a previous study. In order to quantify the influence of these fiber treatments on the interfacial bonding strength of the composites, samples from coated and untreated fibers (reference) are characterized through fiber push‐out technique. Glassy carbon and silicon oxycarbide coatings lead to a reduction of the interfacial bonding strength of 81% and 83%, respectively, in comparison to the reference sample. A fractographic study of the tested specimens by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X‐ray Analysis (EDX) identifies the adhesive failure at the fiber/coating contact as predominant failure mode of the system. The application of glassy carbon and silicon oxycarbide fiber coatings via Liquid Phase Impregnation (LPI) enhances the fracture toughness of carbon fiber reinforced aluminum promoting pull‐out failure. The characterization of the fiber/matrix bonding through fiber push‐out technique reveals an 80% reduction of the interfacial bonding strength of samples from coated filaments in comparison with samples without fiber modification.